Minerva's Feast
by MoonlightTyger
Summary: Cloud has no idea what to get Tifa for Minerva's Feast, and nothing he can think of seems good enough, so a now-sane Sephiroth offers to help. Belated Valentine's fic. (More friendshipping than shipping, at least in Part One.) Rated T to be safe. [Follows the canon of the original 1997 game and its Compilation, not the Remake.]
1. Part One

_Trying to get back into fanfic writing after a long hiatus. I'm working on an original novel as well as freelance writing, so please bear with me._

_This takes place shortly after the conclusion of my main FFVII work, 'Those Who Have Been Broken'. It takes place about a year after the conclusion of _Dirge of Cerberus. _What you need to know of TWHBB to understand this story are:_

_1) Sephiroth has, through a series of (my) in-universe events, regained his sanity and his hero status has been restored;  
2) Due to events in the canon work "On the Way to a Smile: Case of the Lifestream - Black" Sephiroth's memories of his past are few, far between, and hazy;  
3) He works mainly for the WRO, but also as a more direct hire for Rufus Shin-Ra, whose need to make penance is not so different from Sephiroth's own;  
4) His physical form is that of _Advent Children_; as such, he does not need to blink, nor he does he breathe except for that which is required to talk;  
5) Cloud, in an act of utter mercy, has invited Sephiroth to stay at Seventh Heaven._

_Please enjoy :)_

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to _Final Fantasy VII _or any of its Compilation. I am merely a fan who hasn't had her fill of these amazing characters; this fic is written for pleasure only, not for profit.

* * *

**Minerva's Feast**

**-part one-**

* * *

He had no idea what to get her for Minerva's Feast. Denzel and Marlene were covered, but Tifa…

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor," Sephiroth said from the couch, watching his old enemy pace back and forth.

"Shut up," Cloud muttered. Sephiroth shrugged and went back to his paper. The construction on one of the new schools was finally done, which meant that the children from the northern side of Edge wouldn't have to come all the way to the western side to attend. The WRO had found more people tainted with Geostigma — he cringed — but had enough vials of Lifestream-water to cure them (he relaxed).

Stomp, stomp. Stomp, stomp. Stop, turn; stomp, stomp, stomp. Sephiroth put his paper down again, slightly irritated.

"What has you so worked up that you must continually pace around the floor like a lion in a cage?" Wolf was probably more accurate here, Sephiroth reflected, but the point stood. Cloud stopped, turned, and sighed.

"Nothing."

"You have to know I'm not going to believe that," Sephiroth deadpanned. "If the matter is too personal, I understand, but if that's the case it seems odd that you will pace about in clear view where I am certain to see you, wonder, and worry."

"...You worry about me, now?" Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"I worry about all men who have served under me," Sephiroth answered. "You've also taken me into your home, after all the crimes I committed against you. Of course I'm going to 'worry' about you." It wasn't to say that Sephiroth couldn't have survived if Cloud hadn't extended the offer — he would have, even if Rufus hadn't made offers of his own — but to say that he appreciated what Cloud's offer meant.

"...Ugh," Cloud sat down on one of the couches, opposite Sephiroth's chair. "I...did you ever celebrate Minerva's Feast?" The question popped out before Cloud could stop it.

When the Planet had fought back against Meteor, the disembodied Sephiroth had allowed all memories of his childhood and "pathetic" human years to be sacrificed. Even his appearance had been somewhat forgotten; when he had found a way to resurrect himself two years later using Jenova's cells and his avatars, he'd had to piece together what he'd looked like from the memories of others, leading to the not-quite-authentic form he held now.

But while the differences in this form were indiscernible to those who did not know him (and only barely so to the people who _did_), it was these odd questions that brought all their struggles to the surface. Cloud could never tell whether or not these questions were because Sephiroth could not remember something, or if he had never learned it in the first place. Genesis had confirmed what the party had long believed: the ex-general had been raised in a lab, under the care of Professor Hojo, then sent off to war when he was 12. Any one factor by itself was a rather large handicap for life, but together they pretty much guaranteed that some aspect of that person would be screwed-up. Hearing this — as well as Genesis' stories about what Sephiroth was like prior to Nibelheim — Cloud was honestly surprised he'd made it to 22 as normal as he did. With Aerith's and Zack's help, he was slowly regaining memories, but there were still huge gaps in what he did and didn't remember, peculiar gaps in what he did and didn't _know_.

"Personally? I doubt it," Sephiroth answered, unbothered. "But I think Genesis and Angeal did, when they were younger." In fact, Genesis had probably never stopped, Sephiroth realized. He had told Sephiroth he was going to Banora twice this week: in addition to the weekly tribute he paid Minerva, Genesis had prepared something special to give the rumored goddess of the Lifestream on her day. Sephiroth could not see the point of the holiday, and doubted that he ever had. If a person truly loved someone, wouldn't they want to express that more often than once a year? Why go out of their way to surprise someone just because social convention said so?

"Why?" Sephiroth asked then.

"Well..." Cloud trailed off.

"...Well?"

"I...don't know...what to get Tifa," the blond finally said, looking away. Sephiroth blinked at him.

"...What?" Sephiroth tilted his head, trying to keep the amusement out of his tone.

"We got stuff for the kids," Cloud elaborated. "Mom and I always did a little something for Minerva's Feast, and Tifa and I wanted to keep that tradition. We got 'em some Chocolate Chocobos and 100 gil each...but I don't know what to get _Tifa_."

"..._That's_ what has you pacing?" The silver-haired man could no longer hide his amusement; he had thought it was something, well, _serious_.

"...It _is_ serious!" Cloud snapped, surprising both Sephiroth and himself. The insane persona Sephiroth had only recently been able to shake had often peered into Cloud's mind to torture him, an ability wrought of the Jenova and S-cells both shared...but had that conduit just worked the other way?

"...Did you just read my mind?" the ex-General asked.

"No," Cloud answered, annoyed. "I just...knew what you were feeling. It's those stupid cells of yours I have!"

"That's odd," Sephiroth commented, tilting his head again. "Has that ever happened before?"

"Only you catching _my_ emotions when you were controlling me," Cloud grumbled, and Sephiroth winced.

"...What is this about finding a gift for Tifa?" he asked, changing the subject. "What makes hers so difficult? She uses her fists in battle, correct? What about a new punching bag?"

"Too predictable," Cloud said.

"What about something she could use for the bar? Perhaps some more wine or shot glasses?"

"Not good enough."

"Some new earrings?"

"Not...special enough," Cloud responded, crossing his arms with a frown.

"_Ah._" Sephiroth hid a smile, and the blond before him growled.

"Quit laughing at me."

"I'm not," Sephiroth disagreed. "I just...I should have realized that's what was at the root of it all." Cloud raised an eyebrow. His face was annoyed, but his cells were saying 'confused'.

"You still want to impress her," Sephiroth answered. "You still feel that you're not worthy of her, or perhaps...like you owe her something."

...Didn't he, though?

"...I just...Tifa's always...stuck by me. And I put her through a lot of hell. She...she deserves better than me, and she and I both know it."

"It doesn't seem like she shares the same sentiment," Sephiroth commented. It was true he hadn't been living with them for very long, but he had retained the memories made in his insanity. A person would have to be willfully blind in order to miss Tifa's feelings for the blond: regardless of whether or not Cloud thought he deserved it, he _was_ wanted.

"Which is exactly why I need to get her something _nice,_" Cloud was saying now. "Especially for something like Minerva's Feast."

"What's so important about Minerva's Feast?" Sephiroth asked him. "Why would you show more affection that day as opposed to others? It's consumerism."

"Yeah, but..." Cloud looked away. "It's tradition. And...after Meteorfall and Geostigma and then that crap with Omega and Chaos..." Tradition. Silly to some, but...it was those customs and the memories made with each one that made people happy, that could help them heal after a crisis.

"I'd just like my family to have a nice holiday for once," Cloud said then. "I want to give 'em something to remember. Give Tifa something to remember, too." He looked away; it wasn't as though his former enemy didn't already know how strongly he felt for Tifa, but Cloud still wasn't great at 'sharing'.

Abruptly, Sephiroth stood up. Cloud was confused; the ex-General wasn't mad, he was actually smiling. Cloud blinked.

"Come," Sephiroth said.

"Come where?"

"To the shopping district," his rival said. "You've shot down every suggestion and you don't have any better ideas. So, do something about it."

"_You're_ taking me shopping? For Tifa?"

"Two heads _are _supposed to be better than one," he said.

**.:I:I:V:I:I:.**

"Well, what about this one?"

"Have you _ever_ seen Tifa wear pink?"

"The ribbon," he answered offhandedly, and Cloud had to bite his tongue. That was Aerith's ribbon; even Barret wore one. But dredging up past sins of an insane man would do no good, and in the end, Cloud had been able to see his friends again. Aerith was happy; she was at peace. They'd saved the Planet, that was all.

"You _could_ voice an opinion, rather than wait for me to point things out and make suggestions," Sephiroth tacked on, apparently clueless about the thoughts tumbling through Cloud's head. Well, the blond reflected, at least he'd meant it when he said he'd stay out of Cloud's mind if he could. There'd been a few slip-ups, but to Cloud's knowledge he hadn't actually read his thoughts, just 'caught emotions' as before.

"Have you been to that one, Cloud?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "I've been to _all _of them."

"You've been out on deliveries, haven't you?" Sephiroth asked. "Have you been to any of the shops in those cities?" Cloud groaned and nodded.

"Yes. None of them have...anything I want." Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow. He could not say that Cloud was being 'too picky'; he certainly understood the desire for a gift to be special. At the same time, wasn't it supposed to be the thought that counted? Surely Tifa would understand Cloud trying his best, whatever he brought home? With a sigh of his own, he twirled the thought around in his head some more.

"Well, if the shops don't have anything that seems just right...perhaps you could get something special _made?_" he finally suggested, and Cloud blinked at him. He was silent for a minute, then scratched the back of his head.

"I guess that would work...but I don't even have any idea _what_ to get made." Sephiroth sighed again, massaging the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"Well, are there memories that you and she share that stand out more than others? Did you have any family traditions that could be touched on in a gift?" Cloud shook his head.

"They were all bur-" With a glower, Cloud shut his mouth, crossing his arms. But the shadow had already passed over Sephiroth's face.

"They were all burned to the ground, weren't they?" he asked, and Cloud drew a breath.

"You don't have to walk on eggshells around me," the ex-general said. "Not talking about it won't make the sins any less atrocious."

"No, it won't," Cloud answered, looking away. "But...Genesis and Zack...they told us some of what you went through. What Genesis said to you. Vincent and your mom filled in everything else. It won't bring back my mother, or Tifa's dad, but…

"Genesis said if you'd been in your right mind, you'd have killed yourself to stop what happened," Cloud finished.

"...If it brought them back, I'd do it now," he said at last, frowning deeply. Cloud did not know what to say. Suddenly, Sephiroth's head snapped up.

"Nibelheim," he said.

"Yeah — what about it?" Cloud asked, brow furrowing. "What? What's wrong?" _Besides the obvious_, he added silently. Sephiroth turned to him, the corner of his mouth lifting in a semi-familiar smirk, one that had all of the confidence and none of the insanity.

"I have an idea for you," he said. "Come — let's go see Shin-Ra." He turned and began heading back in the direction of Seventh Heaven.

"Shin-Ra?" Cloud asked, knowing his old commander could hear him. Sephiroth only waved, gesturing to follow.

_Well, I guess it's worth a shot...but why _Shinra?

**.:I:I:V:I:I:.**

Even after four months of living with them, Cloud still found it odd that Sephiroth knew how to ride a motorcycle. Oh, it made _sense_, given his Remnants could do so, but that didn't make it any less foreign to the blond. His stalwart commander...riding a motorbike? The two images just didn't _mesh_...but there he was riding one and doing so extremely well.

Healen wasn't all that far from Edge, but it was far enough, and it was _not_ where Cloud had planned to be today.

"So...you gonna tell me why we're _here?_" he asked. He didn't like the idea of owing anything to Rufus, even if the man did seem to have truly changed his ways. He hadn't shirked when Jenova rose in all her horror, somehow ghastlier despite her more human appearance. That didn't mean he didn't still exploit and elicit favors from people where he could.

"Rufus a businessman at heart," Sephiroth answered, and Cloud glared at him. "It's in his blood to negotiate and make contracts. It's like trying to tell a chocobo not to wark."

"Stop reading my mind," Cloud snapped.

"I didn't," he answered. "Discomfort is coming off you in waves and you've mentioned several times in the past how much you don't like owing Rufus."

"And what does Shin-Ra have to with Tifa's present?" Cloud asked, irritated. Sephiroth didn't answer, instead pressing in a code and bending to let the door scan his eye. Cloud was impressed; the last time he'd been out this way they'd only had the card keys. The engineers were certainly working fast. He followed Sephiroth into the building and down the hall to his office. After pressing in a different code, that door unlocked, too. They went in, Sephiroth moving to sit at his computer.

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing at the chairs in front of his desk.

"_Now_ are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Cloud asked, plopping into one. "Why'd we have to come all the way out to Healen?"

"Shin-Ra always has backups," he answered, typing. Cloud squinted.

"What does _that_ have to do with the price of tea in Wutai?!"

"The problem with lying is that you have to keep your story straight," Sephiroth said. "And Shin-Ra allowed for no mistakes. Therefore" — he hit another button, and the smirk appeared on his face again — "they have to keep track of the lies." He turned the screen around, and Cloud's jaw dropped open: his mother smiled back at him. A photo, opposite her name and the address of the street on which he'd spent the first 14 years of his life. He looked to Sephiroth.

"How?"

"I may not technically be a general anymore, but I still have access to classified information. Shinra altered it so that a normal lookup of these names or addresses would result in the imposters they filled Nibelheim with. You can only access these particular papers from a Shin-Ra computer." He turned the screen back.

"What was her father's name?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud answered, and with a few clicks, surely enough, Mr Lockhart's picture and identification info appeared. Cloud's eyebrows flew up. He and Tifa's father had never gotten along, but surely she would like a photo. They had almost nothing left of their original hometown.

"Now let's see if I can…" Sephiroth turned the screen back one more time, and Cloud was silent. What else could he possibly look up?

"Here we are." When Cloud lifted his eyes again, he saw his hometown. The inn, the store, even the dojo. From the dates on the bottom, he could see that some of the photos had been taken years prior to the Incident, even before he left for Midgar.

They were genuine.

A bittersweet taste rose in his mouth. He'd never quite fit in there.

But _Tifa_ might like the memories.

"Would she want those?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud looked to him.

"How did Shin-Ra even think to take these?" he asked. A second sourness rose in his mouth; Genesis had once suggested that Shin-Ra had orchestrated the entire Incident, and given the leaders at the time, it wasn't a stretch. Didn't these pictures…?

"Shin-Ra kept tabs on every town that had a reactor," Sephiroth said, sensing Cloud's train of thought. For once, the blond didn't mind; it saved him having to ask out loud. "Tseng told me that after...well, after I happened, any documents from the original town that could tip someone off were taken to Midgar and digitized for Shinra's purposes, then locked away behind electronic doors. What I hadn't burned, they did. The mansion wasn't considered a liability, being that few people ever came to Nibelheim and the ones that lived in the impostor town were Shinra's employees."

"I see. And Shin-Ra had backups here?"

"Well, originally they were in Costa Del Sol and Deepground," Sephiroth said. "But yes, after...well, me...they rebuilt and moved everything here." He frowned. Deepground. The company's sins were more than even he imagined. If he had only known...if he had only kept his sanity throughout that time. He could have helped free his fellow prisoners of Shin-Ra. Cloud watched him carefully, surprised at the discomfort and sadness leaking over their shared cells. Suddenly, Sephiroth looked up.

"Do you think Tifa would like these?" he asked again, and Cloud nodded.

"She would. Yeah." Sephiroth stood and moved away from the chair.

"Pick the pictures you want, and we'll get them printed." Cloud hesitated.

"Won't you get in trouble? I mean, Shinra classified-"

"A lot has changed since then. And…" — here Sephiroth looked away — "it's not like there's a lot of survivors left to verify anything. And supposing those survivors _did_ want to verify something" — he looked Cloud straight in the eye — "the populace deserves the truth. If Rufus is at all serious about repentance, he will agree." Cloud nodded.

**.:I:I:V:I:I:. **

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_

There WILL be a Part Two. I originally intended this to be a Valentine's Day oneshot, but real life got in the way so I decided to write it in pieces and post the first part before it got too late to be a Valentine's fic ;) I very much want to get back into writing fanfiction. It helps keep my creative mojo going and relaxes me (not something I can always say for original works!).

It's been awhile since I've written anything and certainly nothing FFVII-related; I am not sure about the tone of the characters so constructive criticism is welcomed :)

In keeping with the Valentine's theme, I have decided to post Part Two around March 14th - White Day in Japan ;)

Keep On Rockin' in 2020!  
~MoonlightTyger


	2. Part Two

_As promised...Happy White Day, everyone!_

* * *

**Minerva's Feast**

**-part two-**

* * *

In the four months since Sephiroth had been living with them, they'd learned some very interesting things about him. One, he did not need to eat (annoying resurrected-with-pure-Jenova-cells form that he was). Two...he could clean.

"No, you turn the fitted sheet inside-out first and then tuck in the opposite corner like _this_…"

And boy _did _he.

"_Being in a lab for the first twelve years of your life and in the military for the next ten doesn't leave a lot of room for disorganization," _he explained, after the kids had witnessed him categorizing and alphabetizing the books in the sitting area. His room was always pristine, too — never a thing out of place, even in the drawers and closet.

"_You went to _war _when you were _twelve?" _Marlene gasped._

"_Shin-Ra recruited us early then," Cloud commented. "I left home when I was fourteen."_

"_...You were raised in a lab?" Denzel asked then. _

A cough from Tifa effectively ended that conversation, though Denzel had asked Cloud to confirm the story later when Marlene wasn't around. He was getting more comfortable around Sephiroth, but not enough to ask personal questions directly. He always went through Cloud.

"Shin-Ra say what he wanted you for tonight?" Cloud asked, finally able to put the rag down. He poured himself some water and plopped down on one of the sofas. Minerva's Feast meant lots of people eating out or drinking. Tifa had been reluctant to close the bar completely, but Cloud insisted. They deserved a holiday too, this one was _here_, and who knew when they would be called on to save the world again? (Hopefully never, but they'd thought that before.) The bonuses he'd received taking on work from Shin-Ra were more than enough to cover a day's worth of revenue from the bar.

That said, Cloud still wanted it sparkling for tonight. Tifa had gone out with Elmyra and would pick up the kids on the way back, so the two ex-SOLDIERs had taken the time to clean from top-to-bottom.

"Rufus has some rendezvous or something," Sephiroth replied, putting the last of the sheets in the closet. He walked over to one of the cushy chairs and sat down, himself. In fact, Rufus had confirmed what Sephiroth already thought: he had no love of Minerva's Feast, no love for most holidays, period. "I need to be in Healen by six." The corner of Cloud's mouth rose briefly. Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Everyone at Shin-Ra always said what a workaholic you were," Cloud said, smirk widening. "I guess that part was true." Sephiroth squinted. He got the feeling Cloud was hiding something, but whatever it was, he was doing a marvelous job at concealing it and Sephiroth had promised he wouldn't read anybody's mind on purpose.

"He said he didn't want to bother anyone else," the ex-general replied at last, "and remembered that I worked through most holidays in the past..."

"Thus proving my point," Cloud said. His smirk stayed firmly in place.

"...Is something wrong, Cloud?" Sephiroth finally asked.

"Nope." A pause. "Thanks for your help with everything. I know Tifa was dreading tackling the laundry this week."

"A lot of drunken idiots?"

"More than usual, yeah," Cloud answered. They'd gone through a _lot_ of towels. "She had to throw out one guy 'cause he took a swing at Denzel." Sephiroth's eyes widened — only a fraction — in shock.

"At a _child?_"

"Yeah. You know Denzel — he was all ready to go, but...Tifa stepped in before he could actually get hurt." Naturally, that had been the one night Cloud had been out late on deliveries, and Sephiroth had been in Healen with Shin-Ra (he usually stayed in his room during bar hours, but he heard _everything_ that went on downstairs). Tifa was more than capable of handling it, of course, but just the sight of the ex-SOLDIERs' mako-enhanced eyes were usually enough to settle rowdier patrons down. Besides, there had been that rumor...that what Shin-Ra claimed was a Sephiroth 'clone' that had tried to destroy the planet...had actually not been a clone at all...

"She is a very tough lady," Sephiroth said then, offering a rare, true smile in lieu of his usual smirk. "You're lucky to have her." Cloud turned his head, squinting at the ex-general before him. Sephiroth was right of course (and boy didn't Cloud know it), but this struck him as an odd thing to say.

"...Did you...you know..._have_ someone?"

"..._What_?"

(Cloud had to look away and stifle a snort; he would forever remember this moment: the model SOLDIER and ever-unflappable General Sephiroth...well, _flapped_. Wing-puns completely intended. His silver eyebrows almost touched his hairline, and his serpentine pupils had widened to the point of being nearly full circles.)

Sephiroth's stare was still on him. After another moment, when he felt he could hide his amusement well enough, Cloud turned to face him again.

"I just...the way you'd commented on Tifa...I wondered if you'd remembered something. You know...if you...had anyone."

"...I don't…" Sephiroth closed his mouth. His comments had been an honest observation, nothing more...but now that Cloud had brought up the subject, he found himself curious, too.

"...I...don't think I've had what they call a 'crush', if that's what you're asking," Sephiroth finally said. "But...there _have_ been those I have been more..._interested _in, yes." Cloud raised his eyebrows. Sephiroth paused again, thinking. "Well...really, just one."

Cloud stared. He had never heard _this_, not even from Genesis. "Who?" the blond asked.

"...We fought," Sephiroth answered, speaking slowly. The details were not all clear, but at least they were present. "In Junon. She was... the one who initially made me question things. Made me think about Shin-Ra, and their influences. She asked me what I fought for. I couldn't answer her then. I didn't know."

"...'She'?" This time, Cloud couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. Popular theory around the old SOLDIER base had said that Sephiroth was either gay or asexual, yet the words he'd exchanged with Cloud over Midgar's ruins had lead the blond to believe otherwise: _that_ particular Sephiroth had spoken of finding a new planet and 'building a shining future' (_how _said shining future was to be _built _lead to any number of other disturbing theories and images, but Cloud did not want to dwell on those). Still...it was quite something to finally put those old rumors to rest. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, irritation coming off him in droves.

"I'm well aware of the rumors surrounding my sexuality," he said. "But I'm not _attracted_ to men and never have been." His annoyed gaze didn't waver as Cloud was obviously trying not to laugh and not doing a very good job of it (besides, his mirth leaked over the S-cells).

"What could you _possibly_ find amusing in that statement?"

"I just...hearing a word like 'sexuality' come out of _your_ mouth is kinda the last thing I expected to hear, yanno? You spend a year or two in Shin-Ra and you hear pretty much every rumor about you there is."

"I'm not _a_sexual, either," Sephiroth grunted. "I simply didn't spend a lot of time with women. Partially because there weren't a lot in SOLDIER,and partially because most of the ones I _did _interact with were only interested in my status."

Cloud nodded. Sephiroth's reasoning _did_ make sense, after all. He'd been Midgar's most eligible bachelor back in the day (heck, he probably still was).

"So...who was she, exactly?"

"I don't remember her name," Sephiroth said, frowning. "Just her words, and her appearance. She was a brilliant swordswoman — she blocked my attacks almost as easily as you do." Cloud rolled his eyes. Swordswoman, yeah — that'd do it. His former commander was astoundingly predictable at times. That said, Cloud couldn't deny his own curiosity had been piqued as well. He and Tifa sparred regularly, but he never used his sword, and wasn't sure he could use his full strength, either. If Sephiroth and this woman were in a combat situation, that meant life-or-death. The silver-haired SOLDIER before him did not know the full extent of his powers; he'd never used them. All the times they'd fought him as an enemy...all the times _he'd_ faced enemies or opponents...and apparently, all those times he had been holding back.

Which mention a _fraction_ of his power could and would decimate most. That this woman had been able to block even _those_ attacks spoke volumes about her own abilities; it was no wonder she'd made an impression.

"...What happened to her?" Cloud asked.

"I think...she was the leader of the old AVALANCHE group," Sephiroth answered, sighing. "They were more violent than your group was...more willing to allow people to get hurt. I did not kill her, but I'm sure Shin-Ra won the battle." — _Of course they did, they called _you _in_, Cloud thought—"If I ever saw them again, I don't remember it."

"...I'm sorry," Cloud said, not really knowing what else to say. Sephiroth shook his head.

"I didn't really know them," he replied. "But...I think I might have liked to...if things perhaps had been different. Zack told me I'd been contemplating leaving Shin-Ra, before...well, before _that_ mission." Cloud squinted. He recalled Zack mentioning something like that. Had Shin-Ra known? Possibly. Probably. They couldn't stand to lose their star player. Genesis' suggestion of Nibelheim being at least a partially-inside job was looking more and more plausible.

"Did they know you were thinking of leaving?"

"...Probably." Zack had told him about them disobeying the orders to kill Angeal and Genesis, on Sephiroth's own word. It hadn't occurred to him then that Shin-Ra might bug their phones.

"So how is it you remember _this_, but not whether or not you celebrated Minerva's Feast? I thought you said you got rid of your 'human' memories," Cloud said.

"Most of them," Sephiroth replied. "I kept a certain few that I considered 'made' me what I was."

"And she did?"

"The _situation_ did," he corrected. Cloud smirked; Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"_What?_"

"Nothing." A glance at the clock. "It's after four. Didn't you say you had to be in Healen by six?"

"Yes — of course. I should get going." Sephiroth grabbed his glass and quickly washed it so as not to spoil the hard work they'd done, then headed for the back door, Cloud at his heels.

"Try not to be too hard on the monsters," Cloud said as they exited the door. Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

"If they want to attack me, they are inviting it on themselves," he said flatly. Giving his former subordinate a half-hearted salute, the ex-general climbed on his motorcycle, kicked the bike into drive and blew down the street.

Cloud headed back inside, smirking to himself. Tifa and the kids would be home soon.

**.:I:I:V:I:I:.**

At half-past four, Tifa arrived at Seventh Heaven with not only Denzel and Marlene in tow, but Elmyra Gainsborough as well. Neither Cloud nor Tifa had wanted her to be alone on a holiday, even one that typically focused more on lovers. Aerith was family, and Elmyra had cared for both Marlene and later Denzel as well while the group had been off saving the world multiple times.

"Cloud, you're home already?" Denzel asked, lighting up. Cloud smiled, reaching out to ruffle the kid's hair.

"Day off," he said. "You two have a good day at school? No issues with your classmates?" he asked, referencing a day not so long ago where Marlene had been picked on by another little girl at school. Marlene shook her head.

"Tayla hasn't said anything else about us," she chirped. Cloud nodded.

"Good." He paused, glancing at Tifa. She smiled.

"Why don't you two go inside and look on your beds?" she suggested. Denzel and Marlene looked at each other, then laughed and hurried through the door, the adults following after.

"Oh, it's so _cute!_"

"Yea-_ah_ a chocolate chocobo! _100 gil! _Marlene, we can get the new _Gaia Knights _video with that!" Two sets of young feet ran back down the stairs, Denzel's face already smeared with chocolate and Marlene clutching her new Carbuncle plushie.

"Thank you so much!" Denzel exclaimed, holding up a book on motorcycles. "Are you gonna teach me to ride, Cloud?!"

"...We'll talk about it," Cloud said, after receiving a raised eyebrow from Tifa and Elmyra both. Denzel frowned.

"Awwww…"

"How about some dinner?" Tifa changed the subject. "There's pizza in the fridge." This proved a suitable substitute (for the moment, anyway), and before long the delectable smell of tomato sauce and garlic filled the kitchen. At 5 o'clock, there came a knock on the door. Marlene turned to Cloud.

"I thought you said we were closed all night?" she asked, confused.

"Well, how about you go tell whoever it is that we're sorry and we'll be open tomorrow?" he said.

"Okay," she replied. Tifa followed as Marlene unlocked the door. "I'm sorry, but we're-_Daddy!" _The little girl jumped into the big man's arms for a hug.

"How's my Marlene? That girl hasn't been giving you more trouble at school?" Barret asked. Marlene smiled and shook her head.

"No, Daddy. And look!" She held up her new toy. "Tifa and Cloud got it for me!"

"A Carbuncle, huh? He's very cute," Barret said, smiling at his daughter's excitement.

"And Mrs. Gainsborough bought me and Denzel some new _Monsters & Magic _cards and ice cream when we went out today!"

"Sounds like you two had a fun day," Barret replied. "But it's not over yet! I've got something for you, too." He handed her a package wrapped in pretty paper. Setting her Carbuncle on one of the bar's tables, she tore open the paper to reveal three new hair ribbons and a set of pink barrettes with flowers on the ends.

"Daddy, they're so beautiful!" she exclaimed, staring at the delicate little flowers. She threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you! I'm going to go put them on right now." She rushed out of the room with the box in hand. Barret withdrew a second package from his parcel and held it out toward Denzel, who stared.

"For _me?_" Barret chuckled.

"You didn't think I'd forget you, didja?" he asked, and Denzel grinned, tearing into the wrapping. Marlene reentered with the barrettes in her hair, and Denzel turned to her.

"Your dad got me a model airship kit — it looks just like the Shera!" he said excitedly, and she hurried over to see. "Thanks, Mr. Wallace!"

**.:I:I:V:I:I:.**

Sephiroth arrived in Healen shortly before six. Reluctantly, he got off the bike and went up the stairs to enter the building, wondering if this so-called mission was actually that, or if Rufus had something else up his sleeve. Gaia, he hoped it wasn't an office party.

He punched in his code and let the door scan his eye to open. The interior of the building was decorated in pinks and whites and hearts...and the smell of Costa Del Sol cuisine wafted through the air. And it was coming from his office.

"What in the world…" His door slid open to reveal that his guest chairs normally in front of his desk were now sitting at a small table for two. And where _was_ his desk, anyway? Sephiroth stepped inside, irritated. Had Rufus _actually_ set him up with—

"Hello, my son." The voice would have been unmistakable even without his enhanced hearing. Sephiroth turned his head to his left. The 'missing' desk had been pushed a little further back toward the wall...and next to it stood Lucrecia.

"Mother?" He relaxed. What was this?

"I'm sorry for the deception," she said, fiddling with her bracelet. "I mentioned to Rufus how awful I felt that you'd never had a real holiday with your family, and he suggested we set this up. I know it can't make up for anything you've missed or the horrors you went through...a-and of course you don't have to stay if you don't want to, but I _hope_ that-"

"It's all right," he interrupted. "I'll stay." When Lucrecia looked at him, her smile could have lit the whole of Edge.

"_...How's the mission going?" _Cloud's voice echoed in his head. Suddenly, Sephiroth knew why he'd seemed so smug earlier.

"_Did you know about this?_"

"_...Maybe." _Sephiroth couldn't find it in himself to retort at Cloud for getting in _his_ head; his heart was too warmed by his mother's gesture. No, this could not and would not make up for the years lost...but neither could his own sins be erased. They were here _now_...and perhaps, just perhaps, they could move forward and forge a better future.

That was, after all, what Zack and Aerith wanted.

**.:I:I:V:I:I:.**

"Did you have a good holiday, Tifa?" Cloud asked, as they were sitting together late on one of the sofas downstairs. Barret and Elmyra had headed to bed not long before, and the children had been put to sleep a couple hours ago.

"It was really nice, Cloud," she responded, smiling. "And the bar looks amazing; thank you."

"Yeah, I had help with that," he said with a laugh, standing and grabbing their drinking glasses. He moved to wash them; his hearing was sufficient that he could hear Tifa even above the running water.

"I figured," she said. "He did the laundry again?"

"How'd you guess?"

"The fitted sheets are actually folded the right way." The water shut off, and she heard a clinkling of glass as Cloud put them away.

"Hey, I can fold them the right way...I just...forgot how."

"Mmm." For all Tifa's amusement, however, she knew that Cloud was probably telling the truth (though why Sephiroth had thought a god would need to know how to fold fitted sheets was a mystery).

"Tifa." The brunette's eyes widened as she saw the wrapped box in Cloud's hands.

"Cloud...you didn't...I mean...you've already done _plenty _today..."

"Yeah, but...I can help clean the bar any day," Cloud responded. "It's a holiday. I...you know...I wanted to get you something special." With an indulging smile, she took the box. It was beautifully wrapped, blue-and-white swirling patterns on the paper, a cerulean bow topping it all. She pulled it apart carefully, so as to use it later. Bonuses from Rufus had done quite a bit to refill their pockets, but why waste where unnecessary?

"Oh...Cloud!" Tears filled Tifa's eyes as her father's face stared back at her. How had Cloud managed to get hold of this?

"There's more," he said. Glancing up at him, she carefully took the first photo from the box and laid it on the coffee table in front of her. Now she was looking at the street she grew up on...then the dojo, then the old Inn and general store. From the dates on the bottom, she could see that these were the original buildings — _not_ the imitations that Shin-Ra had placed there after the Incident. She looked up at Cloud again.

"How...how did you...get these?" she asked. "I thought...everything was-"

"Apparently, Shin-Ra keeps backups of everything...but you need a really high level of clearance to access them." She knitted her eyebrows.

"...Like...a Turk?"

"Or a general," Cloud said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, ex-general, technically, in his case. The pictures were his idea, actually…" Tifa's brow furrowed.

"You mean-"

"We went to Healen yesterday. He found those and printed them off for us. Besides the clearance itself, you need a Shin-Ra computer directly at one of their facilities to access the old Nibelheim files."

"That's…" Tifa looked back down at the photos again, wiping at her eyes. "That was very...sweet."

"You...do..._like_ them, right?" Cloud asked. Tifa nodded, cupping a hand to her mouth. Cloud passed her a tissue.

"I do," she said, giving him a sallow smile. "I do. I know we both had our problems there… especially… with my father...but now-"

"It's all we have," he finished. Tifa carefully set the photos back in the box, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I know it...probably wasn't easy on you...seeing these again…" she said softly, laying her head on his shoulder.

"It wasn't, but...I thought _you_ might like them." He shifted, adjusting himself to wrap an arm around her. "If your dad hasn't been recycled through the Lifestream yet...maybe he sees me differently now." Tifa closed her eyes.

"I hope so." She lifted herself just a little, twisting her head to look at Cloud. "This has been an...absolutely wonderful day." She smiled. "Thank you."

He smiled himself, pulling her closer for a quick kiss on the lips.

"That's all I wanted, Tifa. That's all I wanted."

**.:I:I:V:I:I:.**

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_

I apologize if Barret is off; I've never written him before (constructive criticism is welcomed).

Yes, I _am_ setting up for Sephiroth x Elfé. And credit due where credit due: I read LuckyLadybug's "Rainbows, True Love, and Twister" YEARS ago; the characters' discussion in that made some very good points, and since then it has been something of a guideline for 1) the types of ladies I see Sephiroth with, and 2) how I write him in romantic relationships. When sane, he's warm, but still definitely stoic (Newbern captures his subtle emotions _perfectly)._ Elfé shares similar traits and history, and seems independent enough to not take away from his own personality.

LuckyLadybug's "Rainbows, True Love, and Twister" (take out the braces, and where it says "colon", "slash", or "dot", put those in instead...the site is getting VERY clever about linking...even to its own stuff!): [h]t[t]p[s]colon[w]w[w]dot[fanfiction]dotnetslash[s]slash[4541281]slash[1]slash[Rainbows-True-Love-and-Twister]

—"Gaia Knights" and "Monsters & Magic" are my own inventions. The first is based off of _Power Rangers,_ while the second can be thought of as a cross between _Pokémon _and _Yu-Gi-Oh!._

—Tifa is relatively okay with Sephiroth by this point because he has demonstrated over the last few months several instances of protectiveness (if you pay attention to his sane personality's actions and reactions in _Crisis Core_, you'll notice that protectiveness _is_ actually a running trait of his, and arguably continues to be so even after his downfall...except he starts protecting the wrong things). She was also privy to his return to sanity and Genesis'/Zack's account of what actually happened at the Nibelheim reactor.

—The incident with Marlene features more Sane!Sephiroth and will be a future oneshot.

Thank you all for reading; leave a review if you liked it!

Keep On Rockin' in 2020!  
~MoonlightTyger


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